My Issai has always been in a pot until just recently I planted it in the ground and built a beautiful Bamboo trellis for it. It's location has almost always been on the north side of a wall, a few feet away, with pretty much full sun. Now it's right smack on the wall, but with a bit of shade, which it really likes! Harsh sunlight can burn the tips of new growth! After the new spring growth, the leaves would turn yellow, then brown, and then either fall or get crunchy and fall. I've always had that problem. Then new growth occurs again during the summer, as it is now. Later in the season after the new growth, it would once again do the same thing, but the new growth would stop until the following spring. To me that was just normal behavior. I did have to be watering constantly though, pretty much everyday, and on really really hot days, twice a day sometimes because the pot would dry out so quickly! So the cause COULD be lack of water, then again, it might be normal. Now that the plant is in the ground, I'm curious to see if the same thing will happen again. Right now it's still getting a bit of water every day or everyother day, only because it hasn't had time to spread out it's roots into the surrounding soil. Tania ~_~

Hello, Thanks for all of the help. I'm sorry if my post was confusing. When I was asking about how, I was looking for timing and I wasn't sure if the wires could be more harmful if left embedded than if they were removed. Each plant is now supported on two wires connected to pipes ten feet apart with five to ten feet between sets so they are spread out across two fifty foot rows intermingled with grapes and apricot trees. The wires are about four feet and five feet off of the ground. I suspect there were more plants initially but when my husband bought the property it had been untended for close to two years so many plants had been choked out, etc. He spent the first few years working on the house, when we got married three years ago I started working on the outdoor stuff but I had no gardening experience so we've been building up basically row by row, plant by plant. We were looking at replacing the pipes with 4 x 4s but I wasn't sure if we should stick with wire or if there was something else that would be better for them to climb on or a particular variety of wire that was best suited. We have absolutely no idea what we're doing with them, our main garden crops are asparagus and tomatoes so we are on quite the learning curve so I apologize if my questions are a little dense. We have been pruning them to keep them within "their area" at likely the wrong times and from what I've been reading I suspect that might be stemming off the fruit production somewhat. Should we be giving the females more space and support then since they are producing the fruit? And if we are using wires between 4x4s, is there a particular spacing that is best? I.e., right now they are one foot apart - would two feet be better? Or 8 inches? Two rows of wire or three? Again, I greatly appreciate the guidance, now that I know what they are I would like to foster them and possibly add additional plants. I love the idea of them growing on an old greenhouse frame! That has to be amazing looking! :) Thank you again! Sincerely, Teresa

This will be the 2nd winter for my fuzzy type kiwi. Both male and female have reached the top of a grape arbor that was erected (mainly for some grape vines on the other side). The leaves tend to turn reddish and dry but new growth is hardy. As I'm not entirely sure whether it will "outgrow" this, it does appear to be firmly established (at least for the moment). I might add, that the location is really not too great, as it would undoubtedly enjoy more sunshine, but a huge clump of bamboo in the yard dominates the area in the summer months. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful, but thought I'd toss that in for what it is worth. I did buy some Actinidia seeds, however - but had no luck starting them - they do need pre-chilling to germinate. Bejay

I would say that research based Extension Service recommendations are real life. Kiwis are large-growing and vigorous, you better get an adequate support system built pretty soon.